Levy due back tomorrow, but what price peace?

Tuesday 12 December 2006 19.35 EST
First published on Tuesday 12 December 2006 19.35 EST

The government will put horse racing out of its misery tomorrow with the announcement of a restoration of the Levy. Labour vowed to abolish the tax - a statutory payment of bookmakers' profits to the sport- at the last election, but a crushing European Court of Justice ruling in favour of bookmakers early in 2005 left racing's plans for alternative commercial funding of the sport in tatters.

Racing has been lobbying for a restoration of the levy ever since, but the perpetual conflict within the sport has been a cause of irritation to the government. Martin Broughton, chairman of the soon to be abolished British Horseracing Board, was summoned to a meeting with the sports minister, Richard Caborn, last week and told that the infighting had to stop. Of particular concern was the recent move by Racing UK, the subscription TV service, to replace SIS as the providers of live racing coverage to bookmakers' shops.

Racing UK insists its proposition is perfectly reasonable and that it is the victim of negative campaigning by bookmakers, but the government was unimpressed by the emergence of an apparently viable alternative to the levy so close to the deal. Do not count on peace breaking out.

Arnaut battle rumbles on

Lord Stevens's report into the transfer system may be monopolising matters at the Premier League this month, but once it has been dealt with the PL will turn its attention to dismantling the Arnaut review of European Sport, which makes a number of recommendations to which the league is implacably opposed. Jose Luis Arnaut failed to attend a press call in London yesterday, being otherwise engaged in Australia - he is Portugal's foreign minister - but Richard Caborn was on hand to repeat his support for controls on the "rampant commercialisation" of the English game. With opposition total from within the professional ranks a long battle looms.

Talk to the hand

Sir Alex Ferguson made much of Manchester United's special relationship with their fans and local community at the launch of the Opus mega-book chronicling the club's history on Monday. The inclusive spirit does not stretch to meeting the Independent Supporters Trust concerned at the Glazer takeover of Old Trafford. Asked by a member of the trust if he was willing to meet them to discuss their concerns, an otherwise cheerful Ferguson declined. "You should address your concerns to the right people. I'm busy running a football team," he said.

In Faria's footsteps

Steve McClaren met the football media for a Christmas lunch yesterday at Kettners, a venerable Soho restaurant that will forever have a place in the history of English football. It was there that Sven-Goran Eriksson first took Faria Alam to dinner, the beginning of the end for both Eriksson and her other lover, the then chief executive of the Football Association, Mark Palios.

LTA knocked back

The LTA's search for someone to explain away Britain's tennis flops goes on after another candidate knocked back the £60,000-a-year post of head of media. Last month the BBC tennis correspondent, Jonathan Overend, decided to stay with the corporation, and now Premier League spinner Tim Vine, formerly Richard Caborn's spokesman at the DCMS, has also declined an invitation.

Light Blue touchpaper

Sheffield FC, acknowledged by Fifa as the oldest football club in the world having been founded in 1857, is fighting back against a counter-claim from Cambridge University FC, which held a lunch to celebrate its 150th anniversary of its 1856 foundation

at the weekend. Sheffield FC's chairman Richard Tims has been in touch with the Football Association chairman, Geoff Thompson, himself from the steel city, and will meet him in person next week. Tims' chances of rescuing his own anniversary celebrations next year depend on the FA ruling that a university team does not constitute a football club. paul.kelso@theguardian.com